The SJF Foundation

The Smith-Jones Family Foundation was founded in 2018. Our first initiative was the launching of the "Be Great" Book Scholarship - a $500 per academic semester award, renewable up to four years. In five short years, we have awarded just under $23,000 to a combination of 5 individuals and 33 award finalists (who received a one-time award). This scholarship is available to HS students living in, and

graduating from any HS (or home school) in Allen County. Another initiative is The "Lima Educational Field Trip" is a HBCU Tour designed to introduce/expose area students to the reality of obtaining a college degree, in an environment historically known to attract, retain and graduate students (of color), by offering smaller class sizes and a (typically more) supportive campus experience. As current/former high school and college educators, we are fully aware that many of our students have never been on a college campus, and those that have (visited) don't often see themselves, which impacts their vision and confidence that they too can enjoy a successful, timely and cost efficient college experience. We also include cultural, historical and social experiences that many of our participants haven't experienced, which are also important factors for student success. The most effective aspect of this experience is being able to see and hear from former (local) high school students who participate in showing us around their respective campuses, answering questions and allowing our participants to see their peers (and themselves) thriving on a college campus. The end goal is to inspire area youth to obtain a college degree, and then return to our community to pursue professional opportunities in our hometown. We completed our first trip in 2019 (Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, Spelman College, Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University). We didn't do anything in 2020 (COVID). We resumed this experience in 2021 (Classic for Columbus featuring Central State University and Kentucky State University), and this year we're going to tour North Carolina Central University, North Carolina Agriculture and Technology State University, Bethune Cookman University and Edward Waters University. Currently there are 22 students from Lima/Allen County matriculating thru various HBCUs, many of whom attended previous Lima Educational Field Trips. The 2022 Lima Educational Field Trip is scheduled for Wednesday October 12th thru Monday October 16th, and we plan to offer this type of experience on an annual basis.